No idea and I doubt they'll divulge that information.

 

Can't really tell if a tech isn't doing the visual properly, right?

Something tells me they won't or can't do this... the MY2002 WRX has SIX different maps alone. Across the GD platform it's like nearly 15-16 roms alone.

Think of all the MY2000 and newer cars, and how many ROMS they would have to store and compare against. I'm sure it's easy for data to be off a little bit in transit here and there, and have false checks on the ROMs. Simply seems like way more data than they would want to be managing.

 

No they can't. That's where undercover cars come in. They send them out to stations regularly and if you miss their disconnected egr, missing pcv, cut evap canister, etc, you get dinged with a $2000 fine + classes + loss of star status.

There's also another way they know as well. Say a 2006 wrx comes in and its got a smog pump delete. The tech writes Not Applicable on the visual for Air Injection and passes the car. He's thrown up a red flag that's going to earn him a bunch of undercover visits.

 

Is this an undercover wrx? What is the tech supposed to write? Pump serial number?

 

So this is why you don't remove the smog pump. You leave it in place, put the LIC plates in, and no one, even a ref, can tell

 

Same setup as you, I passed every single time after going to the ref (first time was stock ecu/everything) with a Cobb Protune.

However, I came close to failing a couple times with my old hi-flow cat dp so after that I've been switching ONLY the dp back to stock and leave everything else alone.

Even though my ref label shows I have an 02 motor they've still been smogging my car like a 99, so I've been subject to the OBD2 check AND sniffer test.

 

smogged in Jan

passed via OBDII

Tech asked why so many flashes.

Told him turbo replacement.

BAR'd 01 with 06 STI swap

 

Well I had a sniffer test this year (Feb). Probably the last two years of my car being registered in CA anyways.

 

This is what I didn't want to happen, since I'll have to swap the DP. Still not the end of the world, and I know I'll pass the sniffer without issue.

Would be nice to have the homie smog guy just do the ECU check and call it a day, but if they are going to SMOG a 1999 car with 2002 emissions equipment, well, what's the point in even having a BAR inspection for swaps?!?!

You could just do whatever FI you want so long as you never threw a code, and had some cats, they'd just smog it as a 1999 car with the sniffer.

 

I know this guy, I call him bhai... He won't look, as long as I pass the sniffer. He knows I'm not undercover. LOL

 

It was an example I pulled out of my ***. The tech is supposed to fail it for visual. What I was getting at is this. If a car has an air pump, it also has a monitor that gets checked in the functional part of the test. If you eff up on the visual part and write the wrong thing, you're throwing up red flags.

 

Okay... since your car is a 2001, you get the ECU check.

And he noticed the ROMs huh?!
Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...

 

I've heard that E85 cars can pass no cats... anyone seen this?

I suppose it's possible since Ethanol pretty much reduces the HydroCarbons to zero, and it's clean vs NOx, and CO2 as well.

But man... Not sure if I'm ballsy enough to try it. Soooooooooo want to though.

 

Tech just asked why so many rewrites. Told him OEM replacement turbo chargers are getting harder to find so I upgraded to a newer year.

ECU check only.

They did a visual. Ran the car no sniffer. Was in and out in 5 minutes.

 

Run a pre test.